Leverage AI for creative excellence, not efficiency
Yesterday, I had the honor of meeting Rei Inamoto, known as one of the most influential individuals in the creative industry.
As an immigrant founder from Japan myself, it took me courage and resilience to start and grow a company in the United States from no prior experience.
When I started, he was one of the people who served as a real-life inspiration, making a global impact through efforts, creativity, and thought leadership.
Early in our mentoring conversation, I found myself asking,
“What does the future of the designer look like in the era of generative AI?”
This question comes from both fear and curiosity about the future.
Every day, we see a number of new tools: Figma AI, Midjourney, Copy AI, Firefly — you name it
The way we produce our work, from graphics, interface, and content to code, is gradually but surely changing.
The expertise we once thought scarce may not be in a few years.
In this shifting scene, the future of the designer is a question for many creatives in our field.
“Leverage AI for creative excellence, not efficiency,”
Rei shared. His insight provoked my thought. We often see AI as a tool for speed and productivity. But for creatives, he noted that this mindset could lead to pitfalls.
He challenged us to understand the distinction between focusing on speed versus pursuing excellence.
Concentrating on the former may yield good enough results with less cost, while the pursuit of the latter can lead to creative enhancement with value creation.
Both create economic impact but as a creative, he advised me to strive for excellence.
With AI, we can produce more, but our goal should be to create better. It can enhance our creative thinking, not just our speed and productivity.
As we race to keep pace with tech, both as users leveraging AI and builders of AI tools, we must remember our unique roles. We’re more than just tool creators or users; we’re designers who use our creativity to guide how our world evolves.
Special thanks to Rei for sharing the Creative Mindset.
Our conversation will be released as a podcast. Stay tuned.
Rei Inamoto — the founding partner at I&CO
Named in Creativity Magazine’s annual “Creativity 50” as well as one of “the Top 25 Most Creative People in Advertising” in Forbes Magazine, Rei Inamoto is one of the most influential individuals in the marketing and creative industry today. With a broad international experience in Asia, Europe, and the US as well as an unusual combination of background in advertising, design, and technology, Rei brings a unique perspective to his work.
Kazsa Tamai — the co-founder & CEO at Zypsy
A creative thinker behind Zypsy, a design and investment organization that supports founders with brand and product-building expertise. Leveraging a background in growth and product design, he helps teams navigate through the complexities of ideation and execution. For more insights, follow @kazsatamai & @zypsycom.
